Daybreak
by straitjackit
Summary: AU.“What happened to the gust thing?” Welcome to a world where the talented are despised, hated, discriminated against. They have no choice but to fight, against 'normal' humans and between themselves...


Sorry about the long 'Note', but it **_is_** sort of important. BTW, I have the theme song stuck in my head. And WE HAVE A SECTION! WOOT!

Title: Daybreak  
Summary: A group of five individuals are taken in to harness their 'unique' talents… Maybe they're a little more unique than you think. AU.  
Notes: Slight crossover with X-Men, for reasons you will probably guess. (big grin) Essentially an AU. Apart from that, I can't really think of anything, unless I decide to add my whacked out theories into the mix (which I will warn about if they arise).  
Jo Lan exists, but just as a form of fighting based entirely on the physical, none of the 'strength of spirit' stuff. It is very rare and hard to learn due to difficult katas and such (I'm assuming there's kata-like stuff). Is that alright?  
As for the title… I just liked it… (sweatdrops)  
Axel/Lioness fans will love me by the end (maybe). Be ready for a long ride, folks! I aim to have at _least _ten chapters (a major feat for me, to be sure).  
Disclaimer: See profile.

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Chapter 1 

He was running as fast as he could.

Panting, he slipped into a nearby alley, jumping into a dumpster to hide from the pursuing mob. The angry people ran straight past his hiding place, believing he had simply run further ahead and around a corner. As soon as the last one passed, he jumped out and ran back the way he came. He continued past the vegetable stall, where the trouble had started, and headed towards his abandoned flat - not the most comfortable place to live, but certainly better than living on the streets.

Axel collapsed in the alley alongside his building, exhausted. Since the discovery of his powers back in his hometown, he'd been on the run from the everyday 'normal' humans, afraid of his abilities, and from the M.C.C., the Mutant Containment Corps.

_Mutant_, he scoffed to himself. He preferred the term metahuman - it's not like his kind was really that different from everyone else.

"Just a slight variation and people fear us," he muttered to himself, holding his hand out palm up and watching as a small, almost blue tornado develop there. Axel could manipulate the very air itself, use it force people away from him, to smash through things or even on occasion lift something up. He'd found the last part difficult, as being able to change the air's flow required a lot of concentration - flying was out of the question.

_It would come in handy, _he thought.

Sighing, he looked around to see if the coast was clear, grabbed the fire escape ladder above his head and started to haul himself upwards.

Just as he put a hand on the first balcony, a girl ran below him, chased by two men. Apparently, Axel wasn't the only one having a bad day.

The girl all but ran into the brick wall at the end of the hidden street, muttering a few choice words under her breath. She turned to face her pursuers, who had slowed upon following her down her chosen path - they knew the city like the back of their hands, so they were confident that they could take her.

Axel debated whether to help out or not in his head (_Is it worth being caught by the protestors?_).

"You're a purdy young thing, aintcha?"

Axel let go of the ladder and landed on the shorter of the two men, who was wearing a brown parka. He was particularly pleased with the loud crack that sounded when the 'unfortunate' victim's arm twisted and broke on impact with the ground. His companion whipped round to see what had happened, and received a swift kick to the head from the Latin female behind him. Axel moved his hands in an odd gesture, known to only few as 'Jo Lan Chomatsu', and combined it with a strong wind to blow the distracted man backwards, into and _through_ the wall. The girl barely moved out of the way in time, and glared at her saviour as he dumped the other whimpering man on top of his friend.

Axel turned to talk to her, but was shocked as a sharp stinging made his cheek throb. He looked at the girl, clutching his cheek.

"What was that for!"

The girl placed her hands on her hips and took up a relaxed pose, a smug grin on her face.

"Think of it as a thank you."

Axel raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you?" he asked, taking in the teenager before him. She appeared to be about the same age as he was, and just as bedraggled. Her hair, greasy from lack of washing, was bundled into a ponytail on top of her head, two small brown tufts escaping to frame her angular but soft face. Yellow irises with an outline of green watched him in amusement, analysing him as he was her. She wore an old tank top, green with what used to be white stripes, but were now brown from wear. Her cargo pants, matching the colour of her filthy top, ended halfway down her calves, meeting electric green biker boots that looked more than a little oversized for her. Everything was tattered and torn, loose threads frayed from rubbing against the ground on which she undoubtedly slept.

"Ahem."

Axel blinked, bringing his eyes back to her face. He blushed slightly. After his initial scan, his eyes had instantly moved back to… specific areas of her body.

And she had noticed.

"Why _did_ you help me?" she asked bluntly. "I'm not going to sleep with you, if that's what you're thinking."

"No! Jeez, no, nothing like that!" he replied, shocked, waving his hands in a negative gesture. "It's just, you know, I was there, so…"

The girl scrutinised him carefully, before smiling and sticking out her hand.

"The name's Lioness."

"Axel Manning," he replied, taking her hand nervously and shaking it. Had it really been so long since he had a proper conversation that he was _uneasy_?

Lioness withdrew her hand and leant against the wall, crossing her arms.

"That was a nice move. What was it you said? Joe Larn Chewmatsew?"

Axel frowned at the mispronunciation of his manouver.

"Jo Lan Chomatsu," he corrected, repeating the move without the aid of his ability. It was Lioness' turn to frown as she moved in front of him, looking at his hands.

"What happened to the gust thing?" she asked. The boy shifted back into a standing position slowly, considering his options. Should he tell her and run the risk of being shunned once more, or should he keep quiet and possibly make a friend? After all, there was no possible way she would accept muta-

_Wait a minute,_ Axel thought. _How **did** she manage to connect with his head? There was at least a 10 foot gap between them and she was pressed against the wall when she kicked…_

"How did you hit him?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. The brunette had a sneaking feeling that he wasn't the only one with a secret.

Lioness looked shocked for a moment, but quickly covered it up by giving him an amused look.

"Oh, you know, I just stretched my leg to make it long enough to whack him one."

Axel's heart leapt. Was she lying? Could it really be true!

"Are you a mutant too!"

_---Daybreak---_

Lioness looked around the run down flat with a hint of disgust. The walls were browning, with the mouldy paper peeling off in huge chunks. The floorboards, green from water dripping through the holes in the ceiling, creaked as she walked on them towards the run down mattress in the corner. The window, cracked, looked down over the alley they had exited and worked as a door. She wondered briefly how Axel had managed to get the mattress in the room, but he answered the question for her.

"It was already here, like the TV. I think the old owners thought it was a waste of time moving them."

Sure enough, an old television sat opposite the mattress, antenna sticking up at a peculiar angle from the side of the set. She walked over to it and turned it on, surprised to see it working.

"I patched it into the electricity from the room below," Axel explained as he heard the set turn on. He was exploring his cupboards, seeing if there wasn't something he could offer her. She looked as though she needed food as badly as he did. Grinning when his efforts found a slightly battered apple carton in the back, he walked to sit next to her. He stifled a laugh when he caught her staring at the screen, confusion on her features.

"Black and white?" she asked.

"You were expecting it to transform into a 42" plasma with cable?"

Lioness rolled her eyes, accepting the drink offered to her and shifting over to allow him room to sit. He changed the channel and turned the volume up a little before sitting down, back resting against the wall.

"So, what are you doing here, anyway?" Axel asked, feeling a slight surge of anger as he saw the programme on the television.

"'The Hawk'? This guy's a total joke! Come on, you can _see_ the wires!" Lioness cried, causing Axel to laugh. He'd been thinking the same thing. Shaking her head, Lioness answered his question.

"I heard that the M.C.C. were in my neighbourhood and got out of there. I didn't want my family to get arrested, especially since my eldest brother works at one of the mutant camps. He's sympathetic, helps the more normal ones get out by 'proving' they aren't like us," she added to the end, seeing her companion's look of outrage.

"Before I left, I emailed one of my friends. A guy named King. He was at the camp - my brother got him out and hooked us up. Said we could help each other, maybe. Anyway, he's over in Landmark City. He says they're pretty mutant-friendly and that I should go there, meet up again. I've not been able to use the trains or coaches - the M.C.C. have lookouts all over the place, so I'm really glad that I'm nearly there."

She turned to look at Axel rather than the egotistical idiot on the set.

"Why are you here?"

Axel shrugged.

"Seemed like a quiet town. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I settled."

He continued to watch the TV, but now bore a look of concentration on his face. The Latin girl studied his face for a moment, sensing that something else was going on, but she took the hint and moved her gaze elsewhere.

"Mind if we turn it over?"

_---Daybreak---_

Axel opened his eyes and stretched a little. He had allowed Lioness to stay over for the night, giving her the mattress while he slept on the floor.

"Only right for a guest to have the best bed," he had said. He earned a smack for it, too. After a short discussion, he had discovered that Lioness had only been on the streets for a few months – hardly enough time to pick up the instincts that were born from such pains. He felt bad for her – she was still an innocent, she didn't know what true pain was really like…

_Looking up from the edge of the stage, pride swelling his chest._

_A loud noise from above his head, almost scaring the life from him._

_A quick glance, shock registering._

_Blood, the colour of the sash he'd gotten for his 8th birthday._

"_Be brave, my son."_

"Are you alright?"

Axel felt a slight pressure on his shoulder, turning to find Lioness with a look of sympathy on her face. The boy immediately scowled, shrugging her hand from his shoulder.

"I don't need your pity!" he yelled, getting up and walking to the window. Lioness looked after him with sad eyes.

"So, did you consider my offer?" she asked, changing the subject. Hopefully, if he had, she could find out what was wrong in time.

Axel nodded.

"Sure. Let's go to Landmark City."

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Well, what do you think? This fic is going to take quite a while, and may spawn a few side stories along the way. I hope you guys will come along for the ride.  
Review? 

Yours,  
Straitjackit.


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